We chose to visit the country of Georgia for its historic religious sites, its culture, its cuisine and its gorgeous scenery, and our 8-day stay in May did not disappoint. Though this small, sparsely populated country has become, economically, much poorer since its separation from the Soviet Union in , Georgia is still a popular vacation destination for Russians, who love the food and wine, and it has a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Our long, overnight international flight arrived in Tbilisi at a. We had booked the 3-star Hotel Voyager through Booking. It was new and clean, with 5-star service β a real bargain.
After some sleep, we strolled the streets as long as our jet-lagged bodies could manage, walking over the glass Bridge of Peace and peeking inside the Armenian Cathedral of St. We had an early dinner at a Georgian restaurant where costumed, traditional dancers provided entertainment. In the morning, Maria Romanova, our young Russian driver and guide, met us at the hotel.
Though we had considered a self-drive tour, after witnessing the poor road conditions and the erratic driving habits of some of the locals, we were glad we had chosen to hire Maria to be our driver and guide for the seven days. Another issue was the difficulty of finding guest houses or small hotels online, especially in the more remote areas, so Maria arranged our accommodations outside of Tbilisi, as well. Maria was very knowledgeable and also used her iPhone to supplement her commentary with other important information.
The ascent to the monastery was quite steep, but it offered spectacular views. As with most historic sites we visited in Georgia, safety precautions seemed to have not been considered. Good mobility and quite a bit of stamina were required at most places, including our next stop, Uplistsikhe, an ancient rock-hewn complex just east of Gori.
